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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27482926">Assassin, Year 1180</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestalwartsky/pseuds/thestalwartsky'>thestalwartsky</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Academy Shenanigans, Attempt at Humor, Gen, Silly, assassin game</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:27:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,591</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27482926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestalwartsky/pseuds/thestalwartsky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to Assassin, the annual academy game of espionage and survival.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Setup</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic is based around a live-action game called Assassin (aka Killer, aka Gotcha). Feel free to conduct an internet search in your preferred search engine if you'd like to know more about it, I kinda just lay out the basic rules. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At the start of a new week at Garreg Mach Monastery, the students of the Officers Academy were greeted with an announcement that was pinned along the walls of the dorms and classrooms:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Welcome to Assassin, the annual academy game of espionage and survival. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Your objective is simple: be the last player standing among your peers. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Everyone participating will receive a target. Eliminate your target to receive your next one. Elude your would-be assassin to remain in the game.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Participants will be given an owl feather with which to assassinate their target. The feather must cross along the target’s neck to count as a kill. When eliminated, the target will pass along their target to their assassin.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You must be stealthy! You may not commit a kill in the presence of more than one witness. Doing so will grant the target immunity from assassination for the remainder of that day.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Eliminated players should report their assassination to Professor Byleth. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The last player remaining will receive a grand prize!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Please see Professor Byleth before the end of the week to sign up.</em>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think this will be a lot of fun,” said Edelgard. She and the rest of the Black Eagles were gathered in their classroom, around the missive that had been distributed throughout the monastery.</p>
<p>“We are in agreement on that,” said Ferdinand. “Not only that, but this will be the perfect opportunity to display my superiority, to you and the rest of the academy.”</p>
<p>Edelgard sighed and massaged her temples. “Ferdinand, please, not everything has to be a competition against me. However” —she looked around the table at her classmates— “we should absolutely strive to have one of the Black Eagles emerge victorious. Is everybody in?”</p>
<p>“Of course!” said Caspar. He pounded a fist into his other hand with excitement. “I can’t wait to take everyone out! I wonder what the prize could be? I hope it’s a cool weapon!”</p>
<p>“It’s an interesting diversion,” mused Hubert. “I suppose there wouldn’t be any harm in participating. Especially if whatever this ‘grand prize’ is proves useful for any upcoming battles.”</p>
<p>“I am thinking this will be a great test of skill,” said Petra. “We will need to be having… ah, need to be… sneakful?”</p>
<p>“Sneaky,” corrected Dorothea. “Not really my cup of tea, but I guess I’ll give it a shot.” She turned to Bernadetta next to her. “What about you, Bern?”</p>
<p>“No!”</p>
<p>Everyone turned to look at her, including Linhardt, who was startled awake from his nap. Bernadetta quickly ducked her head, embarrassed.</p>
<p>“People creeping around in the shadows, waiting to drag poor little Bernie off to murder her in cold blood? I don’t think so!” Bernadetta shuddered and hugged her legs to her chest.</p>
<p>“Bernadetta,” started Edelgard. “You… You know that no one’s going to actually murder you for real, right?”</p>
<p>“I don’t care! I’m not doing it!”</p>
<p>“I’m going to have to pass as well,” yawned Linhardt. “This sounds like an awful amount of work, going around hunting people and having to hide? That could really mess with my daily schedule.”</p>
<p>“Linhardt, you sleep and you read,” said Ferdinand, frowning. “You do not have a real schedule. And you are always finding hiding places to sleep and read, this should really work in your favor.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’m still not doing it.” Linhardt folded his arms on the table and rested his head. “Good luck to all of you, and wake me up when it’s over.”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“This does sound rather intriguing,” said Dimitri. He placed the announcement on a desk for the rest of the Blue Lions to see. “I’m sure one of us can claim victory if we all participate. Are we all in?”</p>
<p>“I am,” said Ingrid. “It should be entertaining, if nothing else. And I’d like to see this prize as well.”</p>
<p>“This kind of thing makes me a little nervous,” said Annette. “I don’t know how good I’ll be at sneaking around.” She looked to Mercedes next to her. “What do you think, Mercie?”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure how I’ll fare either,” said Mercedes thoughtfully, “But there’s no harm in trying, right? It’ll certainly be an interesting experience. Maybe the prize is something great that will help us all!”</p>
<p>“Yeah, and who knows what could happen?” chimed in Ashe. “With any luck, one of us could make it all the way to the end!”</p>
<p>“What do you say, Dedue?” said Dimitri, turning to the tall man standing at his side. “I know that you wouldn’t normally be into this type of thing, but…”</p>
<p>“You are correct,” replied Dedue. “But I don’t mind taking part, Your Highness.”</p>
<p>“Well, if everyone else is doing this, how can I possibly say no?” said Sylvain, raising his arms to put his hands behind his head. “Sounds like a legitimate excuse to get close to some ladies.”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure if this is a good activity for you,” cautioned Ingrid, her eyes narrowing. “You prowling around, coming up to unsuspecting women… Seems like the perfect recipe for disaster.”</p>
<p>“Nah, it’ll be fine. It’s all in good fun, right?” Sylvain nudged an apathetic Felix next to him. “What do you say, Felix?”</p>
<p>“Absolutely not.” Felix folded his arms across his chest and scowled. “This is nothing but a waste of time.”</p>
<p>“Oh come on, it won’t be that bad!” pleaded Sylvain. “And it’s not a waste of time, it’ll teach you how to be stealthy and… stuff like that.”</p>
<p>“That’s not really my style.” Felix got up abruptly and headed toward the classroom door. “Let me know when you all are done playing your little games. I’ll be training properly, when you’re ready.” After he had made his exit, Annette gave a confused look to her classmates.</p>
<p>“Where is he going? Class is going to start soon…”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, my friends,” said Claude, entering the Golden Deer classroom and waving around a piece of parchment, “it looks like it’s my time to shine." He placed the announcement on a desk for his classmates to see. "Finally, an opportunity to showcase some of my talents."</p>
<p>"Not so fast, Claude," said Leonie. "You may be a sneaky scoundrel, but I have no intention of losing to you!"</p>
<p>"I concur wholeheartedly, on all counts" Lorenz joined in.</p>
<p>"Ouch, so much for this being a friendly competition," said Claude. He turned to Lorenz. "I wouldn't imagine something like this being your particular cup of tea, Lorenz."</p>
<p>"Not typically, no. I will admit this is much more suited to someone of your... disposition." Claude chuckled to himself, but Lorenz continued on unbothered. "However, a noble should be able to adapt to any situation that presents itself. This will be an excellent opportunity to do just that. Besides, any chance to demonstrate my superiority to you is one worth taking."</p>
<p>"Man, you just don't quit, do you?" Claude sighed. "Well, at any rate, it'll be good if we can all participate and show everyone that the Golden Deer are top notch." He looked down at Hilda, who was examining the parchment. "You in, Hilda?"</p>
<p>"I don't know… Going around trying to find people, sounds like a lot of work." Hilda looked up thoughtfully. "On the other hand, maybe I can get them to come to me somehow… And winning something does sound kinda fun. Put me down for a maybe."</p>
<p>Claude shook his head in exasperation and turned to Raphael and Ignatz. "What about you, boys?"</p>
<p>"Sure, why not?" said Raphael. "Don't know that I'll be any good at it, but you never know. I wonder what the prize is? I hope it's a five course meal."</p>
<p>"Somehow I don't think it'll be that," said Ignatz. "But I suppose you never know. Um, I guess I'll join in, there's no harm in it. Can't promise I'll make it to the end, but I'll do my best."</p>
<p>"Excellent." Claude turned to Lysithea and Marianne next. "Ladies, what do you say?"</p>
<p>“I, um… I don’t think so,” said Marianne. “But I’ll be sure to cheer for all of you…”</p>
<p>"Yeah, I don’t know about this either. Sounds like a childish game to me," huffed Lysithea. “I’ve got better uses for my time.”</p>
<p>“You know, Lysithea,” said Claude, “the prize could be a hearty portion of some of Fódlan’s finest desserts.”</p>
<p>“That’s absurd!” Lysithea crossed her arms and frowned, but Claude could already visualize the wheels turning in her head. “They wouldn’t make a prize like that… Would they?”</p>
<p>“Only one way to find out.” Claude snatched the parchment from Lorenz, who’d been reading it, and waved it in front of Lysithea playfully. She fumed briefly before answering.</p>
<p>“Alright fine, let me see that again. And there better be sweets when I win!”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“Come in,” said Byleth, who was busy writing up an upcoming lesson plan in her room. The source of the knocking at her door entered a second later.</p>
<p>“There you are Professor!” bellowed Alois, closing the door behind him. “So then, how many students do we have signed up for our little game?”</p>
<p>“Here is the list.” Byleth pushed aside her lesson plan and pulled out a list of names. Alois pursued the list over her shoulder.</p>
<p>“A splendid turnout, nearly everyone from every house!” Alois beamed. “Looks like the students are just <em> dying </em> to play, aren’t they?”</p>
<p>Byleth turned to stare at him for a moment, before simply nodding.</p>
<p>“...Right. Well, what you’ll need to do next is assign each of these students a target. Then you’ll need to keep track of who everyone has as a target, that way you can verify who the eventual winner is.” Alois grabbed a sheet of parchment and a spare quill. “I’ll start writing down the names that’ll be given out to the students for their targets. You can start making your tracking sheet.” Byleth nodded again and started working.</p>
<p>“Thank you for your help with this, Alois. I’ve never heard of this game, until you told me.”</p>
<p>“Ah, well thank you for volunteering to help run it! It’s just one of the many yearly traditions here at the Officers Academy. Been played every year since I came here.”</p>
<p>“Is that so?”</p>
<p>“Indeed.” Alois rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “You know, Catherine played the year that she was enrolled as well. Won pretty convincingly, if I remember correctly. Her classmates said that they never saw her coming.”</p>
<p>“That’s no surprise,” said Byleth. “It sounds like fun. Almost makes me wish I could play.”</p>
<p>“Ha! Wouldn’t that be something?” Alois chuckled to himself. “You know, I think I’d almost <em> kill </em> to see that!”</p>
<p>Byleth only looked at him.</p>
<p>Alois sighed. “Alright then, I’m about finished here. Have you got your tracking sheet ready?” After writing down all the names of the participants, he had torn the sheet so that each name resided on its own piece. Alois gathered the pieces into a pile and jumbled them on Byleth’s desk.</p>
<p>“I’m ready,” replied Byleth, presenting her parchment. </p>
<p>“Great, then we’ll pick names at random and assign them as targets on your sheet.” Alois rubbed his hands together in excitement. “Let’s get started.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Thinning the Field</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At the start of the following week at Garreg Mach Monastery, the majority of students found that, at some point during the night, a small piece of parchment and an owl feather had found their way into their rooms via the space at the bottom of their doors.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The kills came swiftly.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Raphael stretched his arms high overhead as he left the dining hall. There wasn’t much that could beat an early training session, followed by a hearty breakfast. Perhaps another light training session before today’s lecture was in order.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh yeah, this’ll be great!” Raphael said to himself. “Today’s gonna be fantas—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stopped abruptly in his tracks as a distinct scent made its way through his nostrils. There was no mistaking it: cooked meat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Raphael looked around him. There were very few people around: a few squires making their way to the training grounds, some monks conversing, a dark green tail of hair that was peeking out from behind a bush, probably Linhardt. He was several paces away from the closed doors of the Golden Deer classroom. He took a few steps towards it, noticing that the smell seemed to get stronger.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That smells incredible! I wonder what it could be?” Raphael pushed open the doors slowly. The classroom was empty, as expected, but upon the teacher’s desk was a gilded plate that held a substantial pile of meat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is so weird,” said Raphael, inching closer towards the desk. The smell was almost overpowering. “Who would just leave a plate of meat lying around like this?” Once he was standing over the plate, he noticed a small note placed beside it:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> FOR RAPHAEL: GOTCHA</em>!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Gotcha? What does that mean?” Suddenly, as if on cue, Raphael felt something peculiar running along the back of his neck from ear to ear. It felt soft, but bristly, somehow. He turned around and came face to face with a grinning Claude, holding a feather.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m afraid it means that you’re out, buddy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Claude!” Raphael bellowed. “Fancy seeing you here! Hey, did you just tickle me with that feather?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, I was going for more of a stealthy slice of the neck kinda thing. I would’ve gone for the throat, but I couldn’t quite reach. You’re a little tall, you know,” Claude chuckled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ha! I guess that’s true! But wait, why are you trying to slice me with a feather?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Claude stared at him for a moment. “Well, I suppose that’s just one of the hazards of being my target.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Target? What are you— Oh!” Raphael slapped his forehead in apparent realization. “The Assassin game! Right! Wow, I’m out already, huh? Man, that was fast! You’re good at this!” He laughed, then gestured towards the plate of meat. “I got distracted by this meat here, I guess. Can you believe someone would just leave something like this here? And it’s got my name on it!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah… it’s... almost as if someone was trying to distract you so that you’d let your guard down.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know! Well, it worked out in your favor, right? And it looks like I get to have a good pre-training snack!” Claude did his best to stifle his laughter as Raphael fumbled for a bit before pulling out a small piece of paper. “Here’s your next target, then. Good luck! I’m just gonna go ahead and take care of this meat real quick.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll leave you to it, buddy,” said Claude, taking the note and turning on his heel to exit the classroom. As he looked at his next target, he murmured to himself, “Although if the rest of my targets go like this, I don’t think I’ll need any luck…”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>"...Dimitri? What is that you have there?" asked Lysithea. Dimitri was standing alone near the edge of the greenhouse, holding something wrapped in a napkin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Hm? Oh, good morning, Lysithea. One of the cooks gave me this sweet pastry to try later. I took it to be polite, but" —Dimitri rubbed the back of his head with his free hand— "I'm afraid I'm not terribly into sweets. Would you like it?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Well... If it's just going to go to waste otherwise, then sure, thanks." Lysithea took the pastry, gave a short bow, and turned away. Dimitri pulled out his feather.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>"Honestly, Caspar, you really need to stop getting into fights like this," said Hilda, exasperated. "Come here, let me check you for injuries."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Look, that guy had it coming!" Caspar stood still while Hilda looked him over. "And you don't have to do this, he barely touched me! I'm sure I'm fine."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Now, what kind of person would I be if I didn't at least make sure you were okay? Turn around so I can check the back of your head." As Caspar complied, Hilda laughed to herself, pulling out her feather. It couldn't possibly be this easy, could it?</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>"I am hoping you are not upset with me, Ferdinand," said Petra.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No, no, it is alright, Petra," said Ferdinand, pouting. He handed the paper with his target to Petra. "I am not mad at you. You are just playing the game, after all. It is just..." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I was hoping to at least last longer than Edelgard. I overheard Ignatz talking about how she had snuck up on him while he was painting. To be able to eliminate someone so quickly!" Petra opened her mouth to contribute to the conversation, but Ferdinand continued on. "I was sure that I would be able to match that speed. I had just gotten myself all set up to trap Lorenz and everything. I just bought a bunch of tea, you see, some of his favorite. Ah, maybe you can use some of it? I would hate to have it go to waste." Ferdinand handed over a small pouch. "If you brew it in his vicinity, I guarantee that he will come running."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Um, sure, I will be giving it a try."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Excellent, I am sure you will do wonderfully. You did manage to eliminate me, after all." Ferdinand sighed again. "The way you lured me over with these foreign weapons... I cannot believe that I fell for it!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Petra blinked, wondering how on earth Ferdinand could mistake a feather on a stick for a viable weapon, when the rest of the stockpile next to her contained swords of various blade design. She decided not to comment on it, however. "I was knowing how you like to study about weapons, so I was thinking that it would work. Just like you were thinking that tea would be able to trap Lorenz."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ferdinand closed his eyes and nodded in agreement. "Yes, exactly! Great minds think alike, of course." Petra smiled politely in response. "Please, Petra, make sure that you at least beat Edelgard for me? For Ferdinand von Aegir?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Yes, Ferdinand. I will be doing my best for both of us."</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Sylvain surveyed the marketplace from afar. It was a relatively uneventful evening; there didn’t seem to be very many ladies milling about. But for once, that wasn’t really much of an inconvenience, as there was only one particular person that he was looking for. Sylvain watched as Hilda spoke to one of the merchants, no doubt inquiring about some items that could be used for some sort of craft. He’d have to wait until she left, hopefully she’d take a secluded pathway where no one was around—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“On the prowl again are we, Sylvain?” Startled, Sylvain turned around swiftly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wha— Oh, hi Ingrid,” he said, straightening himself up. “What brings you out here?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re avoiding the question,” Ingrid said sternly, walking up to him and glaring all the while.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m on my best behavior, of course.” Sylvain placed a hand over his chest. “Cross my heart… Though if some lovely lady were to strike up a chat with me, it’d be pretty rude to just ignore her, don’t you think?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ingrid sighed. “Fine, I suppose I can’t stop you. But if you’re going to play these games, you should at least look halfway presentable. Here.” She stepped behind Sylvain and reached up towards his neck. “Hold still for a moment, your jacket collar isn’t right.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wow, thanks Ingrid.” Sylvain acquiesced, and felt Ingrid’s hands fussing over his collar. “You’re being a lot nicer than you usually are about this kind of thing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes, well, sometimes you have to know when you’re fighting a losing battle. And sometimes” — suddenly, Sylvain felt the tickle of a feather on the back of his neck— “you forfeit the battle so that you can focus on winning the war.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the heck?” Sylvain swatted at his neck, then swiveled around to face Ingrid. “Wait a minute, did you just—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know, Sylvain, I’m a little disappointed in you,” said Ingrid, who stashed away her feather within her jacket sleeve. “I would’ve thought you were a little smarter than this. Then again, you always were easily distracted.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I should’ve known something was wrong when you were being nice,” muttered Sylvain, handing over his target.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Don’t be mad. Look at it this way, now you don’t have to sneak up on unsuspecting young women and ruin your reputation even further.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re just always full of silver linings, aren’t you Ingrid?”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“So what do you say we work on our tactics project for a little while,” proposed Ashe. He, Mercedes, and Annette were leaving the dining hall after a pleasant dinner.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s a good idea,” said Mercedes. “We’ll have to do a lot of research to get started. What do you say, Annie?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sounds like a plan to me! We can— Oh shoot!” Annette quickly opened her knapsack and rifled through the contents. “Can you guys wait here for a moment?” she asked. “I just remembered that I left something in the classroom earlier. I’ll be right back!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With nightfall having descended upon Garreg Mach, the only sources of light were the radiant moon high in the sky, and several scattered torches that were lit on the monastery walls. Annette opened the door to the Blue Lions classroom. It was almost pitch black except for a beam of moonlight that shone through the window, as the chandelier above had been extinguished for the night; not quite enough to navigate confidently. Luckily, Annette had a general idea of where she usually sat. With arms stretched out in front of her, she slowly walked to where her desk was, only accidentally bumping into one other desk on the way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Aha!” Annette picked up the book that had been left behind. Now she could get started on that tactics project— </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without warning, the doors to the classroom suddenly slammed shut. At the same time, the moonlight disappeared as the drapes unraveled from where they were tied up, blocking the window. Annette felt her blood run cold.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hello?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was no answer, much to Annette’s dismay. She gingerly sidestepped around the desk, willing herself to stay calm with deep breaths.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whoever’s in here, I’m warning you, I know magic!” Annette yelled. What she had hoped was a threatening voice sounded unbearably meek. After finally easing her way back into the middle of the room, Annette strode toward the direction of the doors. At least, she was pretty sure it was towards the doors. It was completely dark now, with not even her outstretched hands visible in front of her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly, a small orb of purple light materialized in front of her. It looked like dark magic; Annette braced herself to counterattack, but it didn’t appear that the orb was headed toward her, at least not right away. Instead, it started to slowly circle around her, changing its height as it did so. Gradually it started to speed up. Annette kept her eyes on it as it moved around her, twirling around in place. After a couple of seconds of this, the orb dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Annette was startled into stopping, noting with increasing horror that she was now dizzy and disoriented.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This isn’t funny!” It was impossible to know which way was the exit now. Annette took a leap of faith and stumbled off in one direction, hoping that it would lead to the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She promptly smacked headfirst into a stone wall. After taking a second to collect herself, she decided to feel her way along the wall, reasoning that eventually she’d have to come across the wooden handles. Behind her, she could hear a faint, bone-chilling laugh. It sounded familiar, but there was no time to think about who it might belong to; after navigating around a few bookshelves, Annette reached a corner of the classroom and continued on, praying that she was on the side that had the exit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Annette felt the material underneath her hands change from stone to wood. Just as she went to twist the handles to finally escape this nightmare, it happened. The feather was cold to the touch, and circled around her entire neck.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Annette screamed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ashe and Mercedes rushed towards the sound of the scream, ending up in front of the Blue Lions classroom. Annette was seated against the door, with her legs hugged tightly against her chest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Annie!” Mercedes knelt down and put her hand on Annette’s shoulder. “Are you alright?” she asked, as Ashe knelt down on Annette’s other side. Annette didn’t look at either of them, opting to stare blankly in front of her instead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“H… Hu…” Annette’s voice was weak and shaky, her breathing somewhat labored. “Hubert…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What about Hubert?” Ashe furrowed his brow, deeply concerned. “Did he do something to you?!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hubert…” Annette swallowed and closed her eyes. “Hubert… killed me…” Ashe immediately jumped back several paces.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Annette… are you saying that… you’re a ghost?!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mercedes shook her head. “No, Ashe, I think she means it metaphorically. As in, Hubert killed her in the Assassin game.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ashe sighed in relief. “Oh, a fake ghost, okay. I can deal with that.” He knelt back down. “It’s alright Annette, I’m dead too. Leonie trapped me with some kind of pitfall.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That sounds better than being trapped in a completely dark classroom,” Annette squeaked. Her voice was a little stronger now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Goodness, it sounds like this game is getting serious,” Mercedes said. “But at least you two don’t have to worry about it anymore, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, now you don’t have to worry about any creepy people trapping you in the dark!” Ashe stood held out his hand to help Annette up. “Did you at least get what you came back here for?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Annette stood up gingerly, using Ashe and Mercedes for leverage. “Oh shoot, my book! I must’ve dropped it in—” She froze, eyes widening, and turned slowly towards the closed door of the classroom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s alright, Annie.” Mercedes opened the door. “Ashe and I will stand guard here and keep the door open while you go back and get the book, okay?” Annette stood petrified for a second before taking a deep breath.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Right. Okay. I’ll— I’ll be right back.” And with that, she dashed through the open door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Poor thing. I hope she feels better soon,” said Ashe sadly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Me too,” agreed Mercedes. “ I hope whoever is targeting me doesn’t scare me like that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>"Don't worry about it, Dimitri," said Mercedes, putting aside a broken pair of scissors. "I think I have another pair of scissors on my desk, do you mind getting them?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Of course." Dimitri got up and moved toward the desk behind Mercedes. "I appreciate your patience with teaching me to sew, Mercedes." He retrieved the scissors, and also pulled a feather from his sleeve. "That's why I'm sorry I have to do this."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Wha— Oh! That tickles!" Mercedes couldn't help but giggle as Dimitri sat back down. "And here I thought that dying was going to be an unpleasant experience."</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p><br/><br/>"Um... Mercedes? Hilda?" Ingrid watched with confusion as the ladies in question were busy wiping down the tables and chairs in the otherwise empty dining hall. "Why are you two cleaning in here?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Good morning Ingrid!" Mercedes beamed at her. "I've been assisting with some chores around the monastery, and Hilda has agreed to be my helper today!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Really?" Ingrid walked over behind Hilda, who was bent down cleaning the underside of a bench. "And how did that happen?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It's a long story," Hilda mumbled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Well, you'll have one less chore to worry about soon," Ingrid whispered, unsheathing her feather.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Felix sat in the library, struggling to comprehend the diagrams of battle formations in front of him. This time would be much better spent with a sword in his hand, but with everyone in the Academy consumed with this absurd game going on, his options were very limited. The only other occupant in the library was Linhardt — asleep, as usual — seated at a table behind Felix with an enormous pile of books on either side of him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The door opened, and Felix looked up to see Dedue walking into the library. Dedue surveyed the library for a moment, before taking a book from a nearby shelf and silently walking past Felix's table. Felix turned back to his reading, hearing the creak of a chair a moment later as Dedue presumably took a seat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The library was quiet again for some time. Felix wasn't sure how much time had passed before the library doors opened again. Looking up, he watched as Dorothea slipped inside, shutting the doors quickly and breathing a sigh of relief as she leaned her head on the door. She froze as she turned around, eyes fixed on Felix.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Felix," she murmured. "Hello."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Felix looked back down at his book. "Hi."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"How curious to find you here," Dorothea said slowly. She hadn't moved from her position. "I would expect you to be on the training grounds. It's almost as if you're on a stakeout of some sort..."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm not playing that stupid Assassin game, if that's what you're worried about," Felix snapped. "So relax. Everyone's too busy to train properly, apparently, so that's why I'm here." Dorothea watched him for a moment as he angrily turned a page, before relaxing against the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I see... I guess that makes sense, knowing you." Dorothea straightened up and took a few steps towards Felix's table. "You should be glad you're not participating. I've been paranoid and looking over my shoulder all day. It's terribly stressful."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"How unfortunate for you," Felix said flatly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Well, luckily I should be safe here with just you and Mr. Naptime over there, hm?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Felix furrowed his bow and turned around. Linhardt hadn't moved at all from his position, but Dedue was nowhere to be found. Felix was sure that he'd heard the man sit down, and he hadn't heard him get up or seen him leave...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Did you forget Lin was in here? I guess that means he hasn't been snoring." Dorothea chuckled to herself. "It'd be nice if he could manage that during class."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I guess I did. It's a lot easier to ignore people when they're being quiet." Felix shot Dorothea a pointed look. "You and I ought to test that out sometime." He turned back to his book and flipped the page.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Oh, Felix." Dorothea shook her head. "I'm going to let that one slide, since I know you're only lashing out because none of your friends will play with you."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Whatever."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Speaking of friends," started Dorothea. Felix noted that she had come even closer and was now standing across the table from him, but he kept his eyes down on his reading. "You wouldn't happen to know where our dear friend Ingrid would be, would you?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Not even the slightest idea where she might be hanging out this time of day?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm not her keeper. Look for her yourself."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dorothea sighed. "Fine, then, let me ask you this." There were suddenly two hands on either side of Felix's book. He looked up to see Dorothea leaned over the table, staring right at him. "Are all of your classmates participating in the game? Or did anyone else opt out, like yourself?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Do you really think that I'm going to help you win this stupid game?" Felix scoffed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Well why not?” Dorothea pouted and put her hands on her hips. “It's not as if you particularly care who wins."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That doesn’t mean I’m going to rat out my classmates for you. I don’t want any part of this nonsense.” Felix flipped another page angrily and looked back at his book. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some very important reading to do, since I can’t train properly.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Fine, fine, I’ll leave you be.” Annoyed, Dorothea turned on her heel and headed towards the door. “As always, Felix, it has been <em> such </em> a pleasure speaking with you. Let’s do it again sometime, hm?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll pass.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dorothea shot Felix a glare before slipping out as cautiously as she had come in. It was quiet for just a moment before Felix heard the creak of a chair behind him. Dedue walked past him, put back the book that he had grabbed earlier, and exited the library without a word.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, silence settled over the library. Felix was able to regain his concentration on his reading for a few minutes, but it wasn’t long before he could hear the sound of angry heels clicking along the outside hallway. Felix sighed, closed his book, sat up in his chair, and braced himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As expected, the footsteps stopped outside the library entrance, and the door swung open to reveal an angry looking Dorothea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why didn’t you tell me Dedue was in here?” she yelled, walking towards the table.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He was quiet. So I ignored him.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, you are just so <em> amusing, </em> Felix. What happened to you not getting involved in this ‘nonsense’?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I didn’t get involved. I was just sitting here minding my own business. It’s not my fault if you didn’t see him,” Felix said smugly. “Besides, how was I supposed to know that you were his target?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Alright fine, so you didn’t know. But the joke’s on you.” Dorothea leaned over the table, smirking. “Because now I suddenly have a lot more free time, but all my friends are busy… except for you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Felix stared at her in horror. “No. Absolutely not.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Please?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We can train together!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...Damn it. Fine.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Looking like it's gonna be four chapters total. Next one coming soon!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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